USS R-12 (SS-89) was a R-1 Class World War II era submarine.
Only two United States submarines were lost in the Atlantic during World War II, both in 1943: R-12 and USS Dorado (SS-248).
On June 12, 1943, R-12, captained by Lieutenant Commander Edward E. Shelby, got underway from Key West, Florida to conduct a torpedo practice approach. As she completed preparations to dive, her forward battery compartment began to flood. The sea began rushing in and R-12 sank within fifteen seconds in 600 feet of water. Two officers and three enlisted men, who were on the bridge, were the only survivors. The men lost included four U. S. Naval officers, thirty-six U. S. Naval enlisted men, and two Brazilian observers. It was the opinion of a Court of Inquiry that the exact cause for the loss of R-12 was unknown, but was probably due to rapid flooding of the forward part of the ship through a torpedo tube. 1
A list of the personnel lost with R-12 is maintained at http://www.oneternalpatrol.com/uss-r-12-89.htm.
On May 24, 2011, the RV Tiburon Team announced it had discovered the wreck of the USS R-12 off the Florida Keys: http://www.researchvesseltiburon.com/.
April 24, 2011
1. Roscoe, Theodore, United States Submarine Operations in World War II, p. 248.
